


Audrey

by MiteyMidget



Series: Reunion 'verse [6]
Category: Drake & Josh
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-14
Updated: 2017-05-14
Packaged: 2018-10-31 19:54:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10906350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiteyMidget/pseuds/MiteyMidget
Summary: AU, Future fic. Drake and Josh go to dinner at the Parker residence. Josh is a wreck.





	Audrey

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to LJ in September of 2008. Beta credit goes to amberdowny.

Come Saturday afternoon, Josh is a wreck. He's white as a sheet, his palms are sweaty and he's stiff with tension. That's not to mention the mess he made of his closet before they left. Even getting ready for his first 'date' with Drake he hadn't been this nervous. Bolting out of a moving vehicle is starting to look like a good idea. 

"Hey," Drake says, his voice soothing as he glances between Josh and the road. He reaches over with his right hand and squeezes Josh's thigh. "Don't worry so much. Mom is going to love you." 

Josh sends him a half-hearted glare. "Easy for you to say. You don't have to meet my dad until tomorrow." 

"Like that doesn't freak me out?" 

And, yeah, it does. He can tell from the way Drake's eyes go a little wild every time he brings up tomorrow's dinner, no matter how much he'd tried to hide it. For now, though, Drake gets to sit there and look as cool as a cucumber, safe in the conviction that tonight is going to go off without a hitch and Mrs Parker is going to love Josh. 

Instead of answering, Josh grabs hold of Drake's hand and twines their fingers together in his lap. Drake merely smiles and turns his attention back to the road. Usually, Josh would be the first person to tell him to keep his hands at the proper 10 and 2 position on the steering wheel, but right now he can't bring himself to care. Drake's hand in his is more reassuring than anything he could have said. 

The drive is short. Josh doesn't actually live that far from the neat little residential area where Mrs Parker had raised her family. He's not sure whether or not to find that thought scary. 

They pull up in front of a fair sized two-story, bigger than the small two bedroom Josh had shared with his father up until college. Josh studies it and wonders what it would have been like for Drake growing up here. It's not hard to imagine him as a boy, rushing in out out of wide the glass doors. The image is enough to bring a smile to Josh's face. 

Drake's the first one to the door, rocking on his feet as he waits for Josh to make his way up the drive. He's not exactly impatient about it, but Josh can tell he's a little bit restless and fidgety, like maybe he's not as okay with this dinner as he's letting on. 

"Remember," Drake says when Josh finally catches up. "Everything is going to be fine. Mom loves you already." 

"Right," Josh responds, feeling faint. He takes a deep breath, lets it out through his nose. Takes another breath... If he can just keep breathing like this, maybe he'll get through. 

Drake knocks on the door and then makes the whole point moot by opening it and poking his head inside. "Mom! We're here!" 

The sound of footsteps follows. Josh is expecting Drake's mother to appear, but it's a young, dark haired woman a handful of years younger then he is. She looks at them, expression bland, eyes going from Drake to Josh and then back again. 

Finally, she lets her gaze rest on Drake, and says, "Boob." 

"What are you doing here?" Drake yelps, equal parts scorn and terror. Automatically, Josh's mind flashes to ex-girlfriends come to lay a claim. 

She rolls her eyes. "My brother gets outted by the tabloids and then brings his boyfriend home for dinner and you don't think I'm going to be here? Do you know me at all?" 

Megan. This must be Drake's little sister Megan. The one who might just be the spawn of Satan, even factoring in Drake's tendency to exaggerate. Josh is both relieved and terrified at the same time. 

"Megan," a scolding voice cuts off anything Drake might have come back with. "Quit antagonizing your brother. You're both grown adults, start acting like it." 

Josh turns towards the voice and, yes, that's definitely Drake's mother. Megan must get her darker colouring from their father, because Drake takes after their mother, from her auburn hair to her brown eyes and slim build. There's a little bit of grey in her hair, but Mrs Parker is still a very pretty, vibrant woman. 

Megan snorts at her mother. "Drake's a child in a man's body. This isn't antagonizing; it's the only language he understands." 

Drake kind of proves her point by sticking his tongue out at her, even as his face goes scarlet. He looks back at Josh, apology in his eyes. Josh smiles back. He's always wondered what it would be like to have a younger brother or a sister, and watching Drake and Megan gives him a better idea of what he'd been missing. 

Mrs Parker sighs at her children, shaking her head. "You two will be the death of me yet." Then she turns to Josh, quirks a fond smile. "Why don't you come on out of the doorway? These two may have all of the manners of a bull in a china shop, but the least I can do is let you come in." 

Josh nods and Drake moves forward, letting them both in and closing the door behind them. Josh toes off his shoes as Drake does the same. 

"It's very nice to meet you, Mrs Parker," Josh says when he's done. "Drake's been talking about your cooking all week." 

"Please, it's Audrey," she tells him, shooting Drake a pleased look. It's mostly true, too. Drake had brought up his mother's cooking several times, but with everything else going on it's been far from the main focus of most of their conversations. The smell coming from the kitchen has his mouth watering, so there must be some truth to it. 

Audrey leads them in through to the living room/dining room area. Drake's just short of the couch when his mother’s voice stops him. "Drake, help me bring out the food." 

Drake grumbles, but pivots and heads over past the couch and through a swinging door, his mother following after. Josh stands there, at a loss for a few awkward moments as he tries to take in the sudden disappearance of Drake and the fact he's alone with the evil sister. 

As he fidgets Megan just looks back at him with dark, unreadable eyes. She tilts her head to the side as if she's considering him, weighing his worth. It's an overall unpleasant sensation. 

Finally, she nods. "You're alright. For a boob. You hurt Drake, though, and I'll hurt you worse." 

"A-alright!" Josh squeaks in agreement. 

Megan smiles, bright and cheerful. Josh gapes as she moves to set the dining table, unsettled by the sudden about-face. She goes on about her business as if he's not even there, placing cutlery and dishes around the table. 

Okay, so maybe Drake hadn't been exaggerating at all. She's definitely evil. 

Drake and Audrey come back in, each holding a platter. Audrey sweeps in, completely unaware that her daughter's just threatened to do him harm, but Drake takes one look at him and shoots a suspicious glare at his sister. 

"You okay?" he murmurs, pausing as he passes Josh on the way to the table. 

Josh nods, a little frantically. "Yeah. Fine. I think I may have passed some sort of test. 

Drake's expression becomes one of relief, and he turns away to set his burden aside. There's roast and potatoes and vegetables and homemade gravy, all steaming and smelling kind of like heaven. It all looks so good, and Mrs Parker went to all this trouble to do this, for him and for Drake. Josh thinks that's probably a point in their favour. 

Dinner starts off quiet, until Audrey asks about work. Josh loves his job, loves to teach and loves his kids. It's an easy topic to warm up to, even if it is a little bittersweet at the moment. 

"It hasn't been easy," he says, when Drake inevitably asks about how the school board's been handling the situation with Josh's public coming out, a topic which they've been carefully avoiding. He hurries on at the worried looks that sweep over both Drake and his mother's faces. "My job is safe. They'd risk facing a wrongful dismissal suit if they did fire me, but that doesn't mean there isn't any outside pressure to let me go. Some of the parents are threatening to pull their kids from the school. So far the school board’s done a good job of stepping up to the plate to defend me, though." 

"It must still be terrible," Audrey says sympathetically. There's something warm and motherly in her tone that makes him feel a little better about it, like a soft kiss to a scraped knee. It's a strange feeling for all that it's comforting. 

Across the table Drake looks to his sister. "What do you think?" 

"I'm not that kind of lawyer," Megan says, without even looking up from her plate. "In fact I'm not a lawyer at all. I haven't passed the bar exam yet. I think I’ve explained this before." 

"But you've taken the classes," he insists. "A little bit of advice isn't going to hurt." 

She glares at him, but relents. "Fine." She turns to Josh. "Go to your union representative. Even if the school board hasn't terminated your employment so far, it's always good to be prepared. Worse case scenario, you get a lawyer and take it to court. You would have a good case for discrimination. This entire situation has been so publicized there's no way they can sweep it under the rug and claim that your sexual orientation had nothing to do with it."

It makes Josh a little uneasy to have it all put out there like that, to have the whole thing stripped of emotion and lined up like a bulleted list of things to do. This is something that might happen and Josh has to face that sooner or later.

He's still half waiting for the wash of resentment he sometimes still thinks he should be feeling. None of this would be happening if not for Drake. Drake came into his life without any warning and completely turned it on its head. At the same time there are so many things that are better because of Drake, and if this is all he has to face in order to have him, then he'll do it.

At that moment he feels a socked foot pressing against his ankle. He looks up and Drake's watching him from across the table, eyes worried. Josh smiles and nudges back. Drake grins.

He's not alone. They'll face it together.

"Are you two playing footsies under the table?"

At Megan's incredulous voice they both look over. She's leaning back, trying to get a glimpse under the table. Josh blushes red and tries to tuck his feet behind his chair legs, but Drake's not having any of that. He hooks Josh's ankles and keeps him from retreating. The expression on his face when Josh glares at him is pure wickedness.

"The least you could do before attempting to seduce your boyfriend is find a room! Jeez!"

Drake laughs and leers at Josh. "What do you say, Josh? Want to see my room?"

"Eat first," Audrey says before Josh can stammer out a response. She sounds resigned. "Maybe after dinner."

Drake nods enthusiastically and digs into his meal, eating at a speed that probably should have had him choking. Josh shares a glance with Audrey. It's almost conspiratorial. This is Drake and he's different and special and they both see that, like no one else probably has.

Suddenly, Josh feels like he's part of this. He's not an outsider sitting in on a family meal, but actually taking part. Drake may be the thing that links him to this place, but that doesn't invalidate what's being offered here. Trust and a common goal. To take care of Drake, to know him, to be here through to the end. 

Audrey's offering him a place in her family. Josh would be crazy not to accept. So he does. He smiles and rolls his eyes at Drake and after dinner they'll probably go upstairs to Drake's room and goof around. Drake and Megan will continue to bicker and Megan might keep sending Josh those half-threatening looks when no one is looking, but things with the Parker family are good.

Now there's just the Nichols side to tackle.


End file.
